The BMF title holds loads of significance to the UFC, as any bout with this championship on the road ensures a wild conflict.
The belt holder is represented as a fighter who competes in essentially the most entertaining type, prioritising offence over defence and can proceed to show a warrior’s spirit till the ultimate horn.
Max Holloway is about to defend the title this weekend in the primary occasion of UFC 326 in opposition to Charles Oliveira, a long-awaited rematch that followers are eagerly anticipating.
Right here is each BMF title combat that has to this point occurred within the Octagon, as a fan-favourite second is all the time produced in every battle.
Jorge Masvidal vs Nate Diaz
In 2019, the inaugural BMF title was launched and positioned on the road at UFC 244 in Madison Sq. Backyard, headlined by Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz.
In his earlier combat at UFC 241, throughout his post-fight interview, Diaz known as out Masvidal to battle it out for the symbolic title after ‘Gamebred’ earned a record-breaking five-second knockout win over Ben Askren at UFC 239.
The competition was not disappointing to look at as each males exchanged strikes with the Californian touchdown extra strikes, however the Miami-born fighter was touchdown extra important strikes as he managed to knock down Diaz twice inside three rounds.
After the third spherical, the Stockton-born combined martial artist suffered a deep lower above his proper eye because the physician got here to verify to see if the combat might nonetheless proceed, however by his resolution, it was too dangerous to renew the unbelievable battle.
Masvidal turned the primary BMF Champion, profitable by third-round TKO (Physician Stoppage), in what was a catastrophe ending to such an thrilling welterweight conflict.
Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje
Masvidal held on to the BMF title till April 2023, when he introduced his retirement from MMA after shedding to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. He vacated the championship.
At UFC 291, the belt was at stake and was moved right down to light-weight for an exciting conflict between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje in Salt Lake Metropolis.
Each males had confronted one another 5 years prior in an entertaining four-round scrap, which ended with ‘The Diamond’ profitable by TKO.
As soon as once more, there can be one other stoppage within the scheduled five-round bout. Gaethje shocked the Utah crowd with a head kick knockout within the second spherical to say the BMF belt.
It appeared becoming to many within the MMA neighborhood that ‘The Spotlight’ received the title, given his historical past of knockouts and thrilling battles.
Justin Gaethje vs Max Holloway
UFC 300 was billed because the organisation’s greatest occasion in its historical past, and so a fan-favourite matchup needed to happen, so a BMF title contest was positioned on the primary card between Gaethje and former UFC Featherweight Champion Holloway.
It was the primary time a BMF combat was not headlining an occasion, as two world title bouts have been added to the traditionally memorable combat evening.
The motion the Las Vegas followers witnessed was breathtaking, as each males traded punches all through 5 rounds, together with the Hawaiian combined martial artist breaking the champion’s nostril on the finish of spherical one.
Within the final 10 seconds of the battle, Holloway pointed to the center of the Octagon, and each males exchanged a number of strikes till the challenger landed a depraved proper hand, which knocked Gaethje out chilly within the final second of the combat.
It was a second which followers revered from each side as Gaethje showcased that he would dwell by the sword and die by the sword, whereas Holloway produced what many followers imagine to be the best knockout in Fight Sports activities historical past.
Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier
The newest BMF title conflict to happen occurred at UFC 318, the place Holloway defended the belt in Poirier’s retirement combat in New Orleans at UFC 318.
Each males had misplaced their world title bouts of their most up-to-date contests because the Louisiana-born fighter was submitted by Islam Makhachev at UFC 302, and Holloway was knocked out by Ilia Topuria at UFC 308.
The previous Interim Light-weight Champion had already confronted the present BMF Champion twice, stopping him on his UFC debut by submission earlier than afterward defeating him by unanimous resolution at UFC 236.
With Poirier preventing in his house state, the gang have been one-sided, and it confirmed when each males squared off for a 3rd time within the Octagon, particularly when ‘Blessed’ surprised ‘The Diamond’ in rounds one and two, earlier than the 37-year-old landed a knockdown on the finish of the second spherical.
It was the primary time a BMF title conflict went to the judges’ scorecards as Holloway received by unanimous resolution to stay because the champion, changing into the primary fighter to efficiently defend the championship.
